In the last few years, a new phenomenon emerged – an increase in “Plug and Play” camping in Black Rock City. What is “Plug and Play” camping? It’s a shorthand that has emerged around those camps where a group of people (it could be individuals, or a commercial outfit, we have learned) set up a camp not just for themselves, but in advance of the arrival for others to arrive in Black Rock City and have things ready to go for them. Depending on the camp, this could simply include camp infrastructure, or it could also include food preparation, or it could go so far as providing an art car, a decorated bike, or a schedule of activities, for instance. It’s most often for a fee, ranging from reasonably close-to-cost setups to high dollar luxury style RV camps.

Whichever way you look at it, it’s hard to precisely define Plug and Play camping — because we ALL pool resources to survive on the playa, and we all have to take care of each other … so who is to say what someone should bring or how much they should or shouldn’t spend to experience Black Rock City? Paying someone to do your kitchen at the event isn’t new, for example; other camps collaborate on porta-potty rental or other efficiency services. And sometimes, it turns out, these camps are prearranging the setup of their living conditions so that they can focus other contributions -art projects, for example, or a wedding. Or, just having fun without all the sweat equity.

But what are Plug and Play camps doing to our culture of radical self-reliance and Leave No Trace? Are Plug and Play campers “participating”? And who and what does this BRC camping genre really impact? Perhaps most importantly, how can Black Rock City learn from this and evolve?

It could be said that if these camps are providing everything — what about radical self-reliance? But on the flip side, it could also be said that these camps are providing opportunities for some would-be Burners who wouldn’t otherwise have the ability to survive and thrive in the Black Rock Desert to experience Burning Man. Doesn’t that broaden radical inclusion? A number of these campers bring or support big projects to add to the fabric of Black Rock City in other ways — if one is bringing some other legitimate form of civic participation and communal effort, could it be justifiable to want to offset some of the other effort one’s camp requires?

In order to explore these questions, we need to do some reflecting and some research. Importantly, we’re encouraging your input and dialogue. We know that such camps (and those who use them) are a varied bunch and they’re here to stay. The challenge, then, is to help these camps integrate into the ways of Burning Man and to positively acculturate their participants. We also want the sponsors of these camps to understand how they are perceived and how they affect the event and the rest of the Burning Man community.

We’ve produced a 10-minute video of a conversation here at BMHQ, to frame the conversation on Plug and Play camping to help advance our dialog around the issues it presents. After you view this video, join the conversation and become part of what creates a better future. We know there are other Burners with Plug and Play camping experience out there. We hope they will join the conversation, too. Please share your thoughts with us in the comments, or on this ePlaya discussion thread.

In the "credit where it's due" department, I'm just the messenger. Harley, Terry, and the Placement team have been giving this some thought and doing some great investigative work, and then worked with Will and others to communicate outwards and start it as a discussion. They're good questions to ask, and a good place to discuss it.

I appreciate seeing this video and feeling like I am in the loop. Most of us have probably provided some amount of Plug N Plays (PnPs) through the years. I know Camp GravyBrain brought everything 'cept the alcohol and have had friends, often newbies' camp with us. In a small setting like ours it is much easier to teach the 10 principals. I can imagine it is much harder to teach the 10 principals to 200 people that just want to party.

There must be a way to ensure that the large PnPs can educate these folks. Maybe limit the size of PnPs to make it easier to teach.

Though my gut is against the mere idea of PnPs, I realize that they will be a part of the future. I am glad that there is discussion and thought going into this subject!

Amazing they could go on for ten minutes in that vid and not use the words "customer" or "client".

But I'd suggest they put some effort into defining the difference between the org's own collection of infrastructure camps and these "plug and play" camps. If any. The org set the template for this c.2000.

I don't see what is hard to understand about why the whole "plug and play" idea is bad for the event in numerous destructive ways...

1) it creates a new black market for profit in which the event and its free art and expression is "curated" by these types of camps who trick CUSTOMERS into believing that their bm experience will help guide the new wealthy elite who choose to attend. it seems woefully simple that on the playa you are just another citizen and any advantage you may have in the real world either due to money or fame or whatever should not matter an iota on the playa. effectively that means: everyone figures it out just like everyone else...the huge spiritual reward of the event comes only AFTER you put in hard work to bring the city to life. "gaming the bm system" so you can make a buck to stick in your pocket is killing our event and community. in my opinion anyone engaging in this should be banned from the event outright!

2) no matter what principle you stick behind it, making the burn "easier" to attend is directly proportional to how quickly you are destroying the core community. from a top down perspective, dpw and the artists who create the city get nothing for all their trouble...so why should these plug and play theme camps be allowed to profit off of the backs of these people?

3) the sustainability of the community is also directly linked into this nonsense, as sheeple always tend to follow rather than lead. If more and more people seek to either convert their current camp to plug and play or even if due to pure laziness they convince themselves that they need an RV for the event, think about how negatively it affects the event as a whole. it is an interesting enough fact, that more and more artists from bm are taking their art to huge commercial raves and festivals so maybe the entropy is working on both sides of the issue...but the point remains the same, commercialize the event and realize you are also killing it at the same time.

I am a very long time burner. I find myselt opposed to the plug and play mentality. A large part of the Burner experience is the months of planning and preparation that we go thru to be "Radically self sufficient and radically inclusive" . If the Burningman experience comes down to "adventure tours", where a group is profiting as a business, it﻿ flies in the face of everyone who values the ethos of the event and frankly cheapens the experience.

Bob wrote:Amazing they could go on for ten minutes in that vid and not use the words "customer" or "client".

Then you missed it: "client" used not half way through the 10 minutes at 4:05.

Bob wrote: But I'd suggest they put some effort into defining the difference between the org's own collection of infrastructure camps and these "plug and play" camps. If any. The org set the template for this c.2000.

the difference: infrastructure camps - for workers, Plug 'n' Play camps - for guests and clients, who hopefully are encouraged to participate and volunteer.

I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone . . . there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

I feel that "Plug and Play Camps" remove a significant layer of the Burningman experience. By having someone "float" you on the playa through the use of money exchanged outside the event people become significantly removed from the act of building, participating and taking responsibility in their city. This seems to contradict one of the essential values that make this event special.It opens the floodgates to making Burningman just a party for the privileged. Which is many ways it already has become.Now that there is a topping out of space it seems like a good time to tighten up on the values that made this city.

There are many ways to corrupt a concept and usually one only has to follow the money.

Sorry I missed that mention of "clients", and I do admire those three for putting themselves out there for public scrutiny, deserved or not.

And yes, I know what infrastructure adventure camping is all about. I've built those camps, the Cafe, the staff commissary, the Center Camp circle, etc. What I meant was -- if the org is going to make a public issue of this, it might be illuminating if Harley or someone actually attempted to tell people what the difference is.

The actual problems they raise in the vid seem common to every camp, really. What's the fuss about?

Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.

its been happening for a long while: people paying money for someone organizing stuff pre event for a product or service to be used during the event....... Green Tortoise, camps with kitchens, heck many of the 'camp fees' camps could easily get into that realm with the level of services some provide..

dunno why we needed a new term for it: 'vendor services' seems good enough.. plug and play seems to muddy the waters

The spin is already on. The real moniker for this in not "Plug & Play" but more "Pay & Play". Really, if you have enough money your feet never need to touch the dirty dusty playa. Fly in, stay in a lavish RV camp, Art Car everywhere, and watch the burn from one of those hideous scissor lifts safely above the groveling masses. Eventually the BM experience becomes so much like the default world that there is no good reason to go.

I can't imagine my experience being the same if I had simply paid for a ticket compared to having to plan months in advance how to survive. For me that is part of allure.

But to borrow a page from psychology things are valued more when they are hard to attain. This is, no offence, the mechanism behind hazing for fraternities. Suffering or struggling as a group makes the group more cohesive, they are community. By removing the barrier to entry vendor camps, intentionally or not, create two separate group on the playa deeply separate in mentality. Investing time and personal struggle to go and survive and thrive binds a person emotionally to the event and to fellow burners, not doing so irreparably harms a participants ability to exerience the event fully. Preparation is part of what makes the event and community what it is in a very real and even measurable way.

This is basically creating a motel system that is thumbing its nose at the principal of Decommodification. In times when true burners (participants) can't find tickets... do we really want to cater to wealthy, lazy tourists who just want to check BM off their bucket list? These would be the people who can afford the $1,000+ stubhub tickets... so maybe there will be quite the thriving cottage industry of PnP camps at BM2012.

I'm a 15 year burner but I'm definitely NOT one who is averse to change. I argue against those who say "it was better when it was less than (insert number) people. In our camp, our newbies participate in planning, building and finally experiencing the burn as part of the family. This allows our newbies to hit the playa with a sense of already being part of the event. We do newbie orientations where we teach newbies about the 10 principals, LNT, Tents, Health, etc. We DO NOT tell them that "this is what burning will be like for you..." because BM is different to each of us. But I digress...

Last year there was a proposal to charge a higher rate to a few more affluent newbies who wanted the plug 'n play﻿ experience. The person who suggested that we consider this wished to use the funds to help bankroll our costs. I am happy to say that after a brief discussion, the unanimous decision was that the "tourists" were welcome to visit anytime, but we were NOT going create a class structure of haves and have-nots in camp. In the end, the folks who thought that participating in camp would be a lot of work and take away from their experience... participated, cooked meals, cleaned, costumed, AND had an amazing time. If they came as tourists... they would have felt like outsiders in their own camp, and their experience would be very different.

A big thank you to Harley for being such a gracious and non-judgmental host to the Plug 'n play camp business owners (yes, that's what they are). I don't hate PnP organizers, but I disagree with what they are doing. I don't think it should continue and I wish I could make the forum in SF about PnP camps. I'll join the webcast. -- Ruvi from http://burningtribe.com

PS: Wait a minute... is this for real or a hoax? Do such camps actually function with impunity?

Which of the 10 Principles do these Plug n' Play camps adhere to? I would guess the first, Welcome the Stranger, and the last, Immediacy, sorta, except for the participation part. Uh, is there radical-self-exclusion in there somewhere? One cannot help but be annoyed by tourists at the event sometimes but these are an abomination. 40% virgins this year...welcome home? Will it be only tourists and no participants one day? Do these Plug and Play camps provide gifts for the Playa? chotchkies? Glowsticks? Pretty soon you'll have to administer the Oath of the 10 Principles at the gate, not merely a primer of what not to put in the port-a-potties.

If I ran the circus... i would limit vendors to major theme camps. A cleaning deposit would be nice too.

sorry about the rant, but I was taught before I arrived my first year that participation was the utmost important. That and bring enough food and water for the week. And bring some gifts... see ya at the Airport! -- Drunk N. Pilot!

I'm leading a Plug & Play camp. It didn't occur to me that it had a name or that it might be frowned upon. I assumed that Burning Man let some people in ahead of others for the simple reason that some can give more than others. I am available to arrive early, I have some money I can spend on cheap easy food, I have space in my RV to bring in plywood, and I have the skill to build our simple structures. Our camp "The Exchange" is looking to become virgin-centric. Because I have 6 years of burning under my belt I am capable of giving more than the newbies. I don't want to charge camp fees because it just seems wrong to me, but others in my camp feel that I’m stretching myself too thin financially.

I contributed nothing my first year. I was only at Burning Man for 4 days. Since then I have worked harder and harder every year. Spent more, built more, and contributed more. Last year was my first year with an art car, and this will be my first year as camp lead. I think that the problem with virgins is that they don't know what they don't know.

I believe that SOME principals are inherent (either you look forward to including others, or you don't). SOME obviously need to be planned for (Leave No Trace, Gifting). For the others. . . I can't think of a good way to explain them. How do you explain radical self-expression without a fire breathing dragon art car rolling past. What words could describe communal effort better than securing a loose shade structure in a sandstorm before huddling up together. I can't describe the Temple burn anymore than I could describe Love; either you've known it first hand or it doesn’t make sense to you.

The 1 principal that I omit in my teachings is Self-reliance. Until you are in the desert drinking water, you don't know how much water you need. Until you've had to rely on others to help you survive in the desert, you don't realize how valuable community is. And until you realize how important community is, you don't feel the need to be a strong individual so that you can add your strength to Burning Man. Until you are a burner, you don't understand what it means to be a burner.

Just like love: either you get it, or you don’t. I don’t think you can teach self-reliance.

That is my opinion, and I realize that there are many others, but this is what I plan on teaching our virgins. Please let me know if all of my effort to make their first burn easier is against the nature of Burning Man. Tell me if I'm misinterpreting the principals or leading our virgins astray. I'm not concerned for myself (I already know what I don't want to see at Burning Man), this isn't my event. It's ours! And I want to make sure I'm introducing the next generation of burners to the ideas of what Burning Man CAN be, and not what it is sometimes twisted into by greed/laziness/& commercialism.

Ninjaparamedic wrote: Just like love: either you get it, or you don’t. I don’t think you can teach self-reliance..

the Desert can.

I am opposed towards anything that promotes a culture of lazy fucks.

Also, if you are standing in a long line to, say. use the restroom..how would it make you feel, if someone held up a sign, reserving a spot ahead of everyone else? Just so that INDIVIDUAL doesn't need to be bothered with the wait, and can arrive at their convenience..

First of all, let me ask if anyone can delete comments from this message board. I posted one last night and now it is gone. I know it was there because I reviewed it afterwards!

Having asked that question I have a couple of basic ones for this topic.

Do these Plug and Play camps set themselves up to be like compounds where no one goes in without a badge and those inside may never leave and interact with others. I understand security but I have seen Plug and Play camps that were little worlds all by themselves on the playa. Secondly, do they get any special ticket purchasing privileges or do they go through the normal lottery and hope for the best?

I know there is room for all types of camps, I just do not want to see them having a huge influence or impact on their surrounding camps. Really hope they get into it and not see it as a “tourist adventure”

I'm leading a Plug & Play camp. It didn't occur to me that it had a name or that it might be frowned upon. I assumed that Burning Man let some people in ahead of others for the simple reason that some can give more than others. I am available to arrive early, I have some money I can spend on cheap easy food, I have space in my RV to bring in plywood, and I have the skill to build our simple structures. Our camp "The Exchange" is looking to become virgin-centric. Because I have 6 years of burning under my belt I am capable of giving more than the newbies. I don't want to charge camp fees because it just seems wrong to me, but others in my camp feel that I’m stretching myself too thin financially.

Personally I do not think of you as a Plug N Play. You are not in it for profit. My first year I didn't do much other than bring enough food and water. In the following 10 years I have been a participant. I see you as a Burner that is trying to help the newbies assimilate as I do each year. Camp fees are one thing, if everyone is into it, and I for one love getting their early and building the camp and Mutant Vehicle. We have not had camp fees yet, but it has been discussed a few times.

The Plug N Play discussion centers around people that are doing this for profit and that could just mean covering their own BM tickets and food or full blown making money from the event. These people are not true Burners. They may come to BM, they may wear costumes but they are not true Burners.

cosmicgiggle wrote:I don't see what is hard to understand about why the whole "plug and play" idea is bad for the event in numerous destructive ways...

1) it creates a new black market for profit in which the event and its free art and expression is "curated" by these types of camps who trick CUSTOMERS into believing that their bm experience will help guide the new wealthy elite who choose to attend. it seems woefully simple that on the playa you are just another citizen and any advantage you may have in the real world either due to money or fame or whatever should not matter an iota on the playa. effectively that means: everyone figures it out just like everyone else...the huge spiritual reward of the event comes only AFTER you put in hard work to bring the city to life. "gaming the bm system" so you can make a buck to stick in your pocket is killing our event and community. in my opinion anyone engaging in this should be banned from the event outright!

2) no matter what principle you stick behind it, making the burn "easier" to attend is directly proportional to how quickly you are destroying the core community. from a top down perspective, dpw and the artists who create the city get nothing for all their trouble...so why should these plug and play theme camps be allowed to profit off of the backs of these people?

3) the sustainability of the community is also directly linked into this nonsense, assheeple always tend to follow rather than lead. If more and more people seek to either convert their current camp to plug and play or even if due to pure laziness they convince themselves that they need an RV for the event, think about how negatively it affects the event as a whole. it is an interesting enough fact, that more and more artists from bm are taking their art to huge commercial raves and festivals so maybe the entropy is working on both sides of the issue...but the point remains the same, commercialize the event and realize you are also killing it at the same time.

I'm afraid you've instantly disqualified yourself for using that lazy and dismissive term.What's that?You say I'm being dismissive towards you?You could see it that way. But at least I did a minor amount of coding the post, rather than just throwing down a faux-clever buzzword.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I don't think P&P camping is really new. There's always been the disguised celebrity or two that arrived with everything handled for them. However, hearing that these types of camps are becoming more numerous is awful in my opinion. I'm bothered by the money-can-buy-anything theme these camps are promoting.

Burning Man isn't supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be a struggle to prepare for it and to maintain a healthy attitude during and get home changed in some way (for the better, hopefully). It's hard not to lean on the cliché "if it was easy, everyone would be doing it" since it seems we're already here given the ticket situation.

I, for one, am struggling with conceptualizing what the future holds for the entire event. As it seems, the population has become so large and with that comes a loss of community. There's just too many damn people and it stretches the boundaries of what the human mind can embrace. The commonly used phrase, "it was better last year" has really taken on a new meaning today.

Just my $.02, YMMV.

Suck it."They're like a bunch of Honey Badgers in a sea of hippies." -Goathead

Your burn is your own. I'm mystified by debates here and in society at large about what "other people", almost all quite distant, "should do". And I'm not a libertarian by any stretch.

You never can predict the creativity over the rest of the year might be sparked by people in these camps as a result of getting dusty. The impact on startups and the creative community is amply proven. Big things have come from people who started out in the desert in a tent, but now rock star it.

Last edited by some seeing eye on Tue Mar 20, 2012 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

it's an LLC with a NV 'corporate circle' address. Burning Brothers Outfitter wants to rent you a personal infrastructure package at the burn: tent, bikes, glow wire, carpet, cookstove, plates, etc; and a supply of water with refills available at any time 'from the main camp'. they provide greywater handling, and 'no need to clean' your tent. a group camp area will be provided, but with no mention is made of work or roles needed to run it. a few quotes from the site:

We will have a theme camp and designated camping area while at the festival. Our location will be uploaded here when we are assigned to it.

* Give Something Back to the Community- We will host an event at our camp such as a happy hour that any package holder can serve or enjoy and get the experience of participating. * Participate Safely- You get lights for night time fun, bikes to get the most out of the festival, shade to relax under and everything else you need to engage and enjoy. * We take care of your Greywater- Not dumping anything on the playa is mandatory and hauling your smelly greywater out is a pain so know that we will take care of it for you.

the tone and language throughout the site is that of a themed resort. it presumes that you're looking to maximize fun, enjoyment, and relaxation; and you want that decoupled from the 'pain' of 'taking care of' stuff. you needn't research logistics - just carpool with the organizers. come party! without the burden of knowing how much labor it took the other 90 percent to magically supply their art, their gifts, their infrastructure, their contributions to the city. 'participation' and 'engagement' are themes, which can be supplied by a formula (happy hour) in exchange for money.

...i wonder how moopy that tourist resort - uhhh, 'theme camp' - will be after the event.

Last edited by nerdqueen on Tue Mar 20, 2012 11:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

I agree completely that cold hard cash in exchange for a totally set up camp does something terrible to the community and the event.

Though, what about the Plug'n'play camps that set up a "we provide the infrastructure" type theme camp but are rewarded with the simple satisfaction of helping other burners, often times over seas burners?Is the Plug'n'play that sets up a communal kitchen and shade, and brings you water if you pay them gas different than the Pay'n'play camps?

I don't know, but it is interesting.

It seems to me that the BMorg is trying to explore the differences between Plug'n'play camp for fun/self satisfaction vs. Plug'n'play for cash (aka pay'n'play).

I personally feel that any Plug'n'play for cash is in complete Violation to the no commerce policy and community of BRC. But, on the other hand where do you draw the line between "For profit Pay to play"- "Donate to camp cost Plug'n'play"- "if you pay the extra gas cost I'll haul a bunch of water"- and the very other end "Yeah I got extra stuff camp with us Plug'n'play" and all the different variation in between.

Sadly, I wish there was a simple way to draw the line and say "No! You are selling "Burning Man" but still allow others that are not for profit to keep doing what they are doing.

Why don't ya stick your head in that hole and find out? ~pieholePlan for the worst, expect the best. Make the most out of it under any conditions. If you cannot do that you will never enjoy yourself. ~CrispyDave

One thing that has kept Burning Man from exploding in population is the assumption that everyone needs to provide everything they need. There's no aisle in Wal-Mart for pre-packaged Burning Man gear. It has always required some thought and individualized preparation.

For each participant, there have got to be 100 or more who would like to go to Burning Man, but the dust and the heat and the difficulty of pulling it off (getting a week off work, or first week of school, or the money to travel etc.) keeps them at home.